1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hard disk recorder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a hard disk recorder, video image-related data and audio sound-related data in video and audio information files are read from a built-in hard disk, as a recording medium, to generate video signals and audio signals. The video signals are output to a display, while the audio signals are output to a loudspeaker, whereby video images are reproduced on the display, while audio sounds are reproduced by the loudspeaker.
Generally, a hard disk recorder has a fast-forward reproduction function to reproduce video images and audio sounds in fast-forward mode, and can reproduce video images and audio sounds at plural fast-forward speeds. In such hard disk recorder having the fast-forward reproduction function, it is known to perform the fast-forward reproduction in a manner that video images and audio sounds are periodically reproduced each time for a given reference time interval (e.g. 1 second) by being periodically skipped each time for a time interval (e.g. 119 seconds in the case of 120× speed) corresponding to the fast-forward reproduction speed relative to the reference time interval.
Each periodic reproduction zone for the reference time interval is determined using, as a base point, a starting position of a fast-forward reproduction in a video and audio information file (often referred to as video and audio file hereafter). For example, in the case where the reference time interval for reproduction is 1 second, and the fast-forward reproduction is performed at 120× speed from the beginning of a video and audio information file, then consecutive reproduction of video images and audio sounds in periodic reproduction zones is performed in a manner that the periodic reproduction zones are each of 1 second interval and are positioned at time points corresponding to 120 seconds, 240 seconds, 360 seconds and so on from the base point in the case of normal reproduction.
In order to search for a target scene desired to view, it is a general way to perform a fast-forward reproduction. However, according to the above-described conventional hard disk recorder, the fast-forward reproduction of video images and audio sounds in periodic zones in a video and audio information file is performed, each periodic zone being for a reference time interval, while the other video images and audio sounds in the other periodic zones, each for a time interval corresponding to the fast-forward speed, are skipped. Thus, there are scenes which are not reproduced by the fast-forward reproduction. Accordingly, in the case of a fast-forward reproduction at a very high speed such as 120× speed, there is a high probability that the fast-forward reproduction is performed till the end of a video and audio information file without reproducing a target scene, thereby making it impossible to find the target scene. On the other hand, in the case of a fast-forward reproduction at a relatively slow speed such as double (2×) speed, there is an increased probability of finding a target scene, but it is likely to take too much time to find a target scene from a video and audio information file in its entirety.
In the conventional hard disk recorder as described above, each periodic reproduction zone for the reference time interval is determined using the starting position of the fast-forward reproduction as a base point. Accordingly, if fast-forward reproductions are repeated each time from one same position of reproduction in a video and audio information file at one same fast-forward speed, then same scenes are repeatedly reproduced by the fast-forward reproductions. Thus, if a target scene is not reproduced by e.g. a fast-forward reproduction at 120× speed from the beginning to the end of a video and audio information file, then the target scene is never reproduced by the fast-forward reproduction at the same 120× speed, no matter how many times the fast-forward reproductions are repeated each time from the beginning to the end of the video and audio information file. Accordingly, in order to search for the target scene in such case, it becomes necessary to perform a fast-forward reproduction at a speed different from the 120× speed. This makes the hard disk recorder inconvenient for users to use.
In addition, if the 120× speed is changed in this case to e.g. 60× speed, and the fast-forward reproduction is performed at the 60× speed from the beginning of the video and audio information file, the following problem arises. As described above, each periodic reproduction zone for the reference time interval is determined using, as a base point, a starting position of a fast-forward reproduction in a video and audio information file. Accordingly, video images and audio sounds, which are positioned at time points corresponding to 120 seconds, 240 seconds, 360 seconds and so on from the base point in the case of normal reproduction and which are reproduced at the 60× speed, unavoidably overlap with video images and audio sounds reproduced at the 120× speed. The video images and audio sounds reproduced at the 60× speed, which overlap with those reproduced at the 120× speed, are not useful information anymore to search for a target scene, as the target scene is not contained in the video images and audio sounds reproduced by the fast-forward reproduction at the 120× speed from the beginning to the end of the video and audio information file.
In other words, in the case where the fast-forward reproduction is performed from the beginning of the video and audio information file at e.g. the 60× speed in place of the 120× speed, information unneeded to search for a target scene are uselessly reproduced, thereby lowering the probability of finding the target scene. Such problem can occur in the fast-forward reproduction not only in the case where the 120× speed is changed to the 60× speed, but also in the case where any arbitrary speed is changed to another arbitrary speed.
Thus, the conventional hard disk recorder makes it difficult to quickly find a target scene desired to view, and is poor to handle to find the target scene. This makes the hard disk recorder inconvenient for users to use.